Pitches (Opening Doors)
Deadline: 8 December 2023
We are accepting submissions for our Volume I, Spring 2024 issue.
Submission Deadline: Friday, December 8, 11:59 PM
Theme: Opening Doors
Our spring 2024 issue of WordWorks explores the doors we open when we send our words into the world. Whether you’re an established author or have just started writing, we’d like to hear about the new places your practice has led you or empowered you to go. We’re looking for articles that will inspire other writers, about new connections or reconnections, new opportunities, unusual experiences, or new insights or epiphanies. Topics could include new skills you gained when you found a publisher or took the plunge and self-published, challenges you’ve overcome, the unanticipated rewards of a writing project, or an unexpected impact that your writing had on you or someone else.
Please submit up to three pitches (150 words max per pitch).We prioritize submissions from FBCW members but welcome submissions from all writers with a connection to BC or Yukon.
Submit your article pitch here.
ARTICLES
WordWorks pays $125 for articles of 400–600 words and $250 for articles of 800–1,100 words. We will consider longer features as well. These rates may change in future issues.
REPRINTS
Have you previously written an article or blog post that fits our theme? We pay $50 for selected reprints.
FICTION, CREATIVE NONFICTION, & POETRY
Although we are primarily interested in articles, we will occasionally consider a limited number of poems (up to 30 lines) or pieces of prose (up to 500 words) centred around the theme. We pay $50 per piece. We only accept creative work from FBCW members.
ART & GRAPHICS
We pay $100 for cover art and $25 for other interior illustrations that fit our current theme. To submit artwork on our theme, please query us at wordworks@bcwriters.ca.
WORDWORKS WELCOMES DIVERSE STORYTELLERS
WordWorks strives to serve all BC and Yukon writers by publishing articles that reflect diverse experiences. We celebrate submissions from underrepresented communities and are seeking contributions from writers of all races, genders, sexualities, abilities, neurodiversities, religions, socioeconomic statuses, or immigration statuses. We encourage submissions from both published and emerging writers. We believe our strength as a community is in the breadth of our stories. If you feel comfortable disclosing your identities, our submission form provides an opportunity to do so. All disclosures are treated as confidential.
SUBMISSION POLICY
Submissions are declined for a variety of reasons. Sometimes we receive several pitches about the same topic, or a pitch may be too similar to an article we’ve published in recent years. The theme often evolves based on the pitches we receive, and much of the final decision comes down to how the articles complement each other as part of an overall issue. If your pitch is declined, it’s usually related to what’s a good fit for a particular issue rather than a reflection of the quality of your writing. We encourage you to pitch us again for future issues.
The Federation of BC Writers strives to publish credible articles that provide valuable advice to the writing community. We occasionally encounter articles that are initially commissioned based on a compelling pitch that ultimately prove to not meet the editorial goals, timelines, or standards of the publication. Sometimes articles that may otherwise be wonderful in theme, angle, or topic need more editing or fact-checking than is possible given our timeframes and resources. We do everything in our power to avoid passing on an article after commission, but reserve the right (at our discretion) to do so for the integrity of our work, magazine, and community. In such instances, our contracts govern compensation. We do not comment publicly on individual articles that have been considered for publication with our organization.
About WordWorksWe publish three full-colour issues per year. Each issue goes out to Federation of BC Writers members as well as to schools, libraries, businesses, and other organizations throughout BC and Yukon. We are always striving to increase our readership and the reach of our stories.
QUESTIONS?
Email Rachel Muller, Managing Editor, at wordworks@bcwriters.ca.